Hugs all around at White House for piano prodigy

Georgette Braun

Tuesday

Mar 25, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 25, 2008 at 10:54 AM

“I said, ‘Hi,’ and I gave him a hug,” Emily Bear, 6, of Rockford said of meeting President Bush after she’d played piano in front of about 300 people at the White House before the traditional annual Easter Egg Roll.

Emily Bear of Rockford squeezed President Bush Monday morning -- in a good way.

“I said, ‘Hi,’ and I gave him a hug,” Emily, 6, said in a telephone interview Monday afternoon after she’d played piano in front of about 300 people at the White House before the traditional annual Easter Egg Roll.

She also hugged Laura Bush after the first lady introduced Emily to the breakfast crowd and before she played her final two songs at the event: “The C Boogie,” and a song she wrote, “The Love In Us.”

Emily, who played piano three times last year on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” also performed 30 minutes of songs she wrote, along with jazz selections, while guests ate and before Emily’s formal introduction, said Andrea Bear, Emily’s mother.

Emily also met the Jonas Brothers, one of the hottest boy bands on the charts, and Kyle Massey, who plays Cory Baxter in the Disney TV show, “Cory in the House.” The day’s highlight for thousands of kids and their families was the annual egg roll on the White House lawn. The roll is a race where children 7 years old and younger, including Emily, push an egg through the grass with a large spoon.

The Bear family went to the White House, too, and walked through several rooms. Emily was asked to play piano after White House staff became aware of Emily through her performances and her Web site, emilybear.com, where visitors soon will find information about the release of her CD, “The Love In Us.”

As a thank you for her piano playing, Emily was given a basket with gifts that included four painted wooden eggs with Mrs. Bush’s signature on them. Emily said she’ll “put them somewhere by my piano at home.”

Andrea said the Bushes, including the President’s mother, Barbara, were gracious and the event was “magical.”

“It was an honor to be part of such a fun, spring family event,” she said. The event on the South Lawn also featured magicians, yo-yo experts and costumed characters.

What did Emily find most fun? “Everything,” she said. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, how did Emily rate her day at the White House? “Twenty!” she said.

Georgette Braun can be reached at (815) 987-1331 or gbraun@rrstar.com.

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